Gophers' Mitch Leidner going through concussion protocol, out vs. Terps

Share

Minnesota will be without quarterback Mitch Leidner when it takes on Maryland on Saturday in College Park.

Gophers head coach Tracy Claeys told reporters Tuesday that his senior quarterback is going through the concussion protocol after concussion symptoms popped up after this past weekend's loss to Iowa.

"He's on the concussion protocol," Claeys said during his weekly press conference. "So whenever he gets through that, then he'll be cleared to play."

Leidner has completed 57.7 percent of his passes this season for 1,006 yards and five touchdowns. He also ranks fourth on the team in rushing with 142 yards and three touchdowns. After receiving some NFL Draft buzz this offseason, with one prognosticator pegging him a potential first-round pick, Leidner has the 12th-ranked quarterback rating in the Big Ten and leads a Minnesota offense that ranks in the middle of the pack in the conference, averaging 405.4 yards a game.

Claeys said that backup Conor Rhoda will get the start Saturday against Maryland. He's thrown one pass this season, in a blowout win over Indiana State. He didn't play in any games last season after appearing twice during the 2014 campaign.

"(Rhoda) does a good job. He understands what we're trying to do. He did a nice job (in camp). And the other thing with Demry (Croft, third-string quarterback) is we'd like to get the redshirt back on him. Obviously that will be reevaluated now this week. So we'll practice and Conor will start and do what he can do best along with everybody else and their strong points and that's what we'll emphasize and go to battle.

"He's a good football player, and he has control of the offense. Whatever parts of the gameplan that they feel like we need to do, we're going to do what he does best. It's going to take us a couple days in practice to figure out the gameplan and fitting it into what he does best. It's no different than the NFL, backup quarterbacks don't get many reps during the week at all. But he's more than capable, and we'll find things that he does well."

Contact Us